Process of manufacturing lavatory-basins or other earthenware articles.



UNITED sT rEs PATENT JOHN CLIFFORD, or CHICAGO, rLLiNois, AND CHARLES wEE ANs, o 'rRENroN, NEw sEY, ASSIGNQRS TO MONUMENT POTTERY COMPANY, or TRENTON, EW JERSEY, A we PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS or MANUFACTURING LAvAroR -BAsi'Ns R o'rHER EARTHE'NWARE ARTICLES.

No. 929,390. Specification amass Patent. Patented July 27, 1909.

Application filed. October 19, 1907. Serial Nd. 398,189.

Toall whom itmayfconcem." I i 1, hand manipulation. This preliminary treat- Be itknown that we, JOH CLIFFORD, a merit ordinarily,acomprises,first, the laboricitizen of the United States, resi,ding, in ous mixing of the dry clay m aterial's with 55 Chicago, in the county of Cook and State WQtGIKtO bring it to av 'fluid stateby being of lllinois and CHARLES-YVEELVANS, a citizen castinto a plunger with revolving arms in of the United States, residing invTrenton, order to anix it thoroughly, after which it in the countyof lvlercer andstateof New is run ofi on a wire screen or lawn to sepa-' Jersey, ,have, invented anew and useful Imrate from, the liquid mixture, or slip the 60 provement in Processes of Manufacturingsand, stones and extraneous materials. It Lavatory Basi ns and other Earthenware then is run into areceiver which is also Articles, of which the following is a specikeptzrevolving in order tokeep'ithe various fication, w a a A minute particles .ofithe slip or substance i Ou-r, invent on; relates to improvements in together, after which it is pumped into'a 65 the art or. process of. manufacturing.lavatory filter press by vfo'rce untila sufficient amount 1 bowls, closet basins and other earthenware of the water has been separated by the filter iG1 1+- 4 z i a 2.2: press from.themixtureto reduce-it to the lileretofore, lavatory bowls, closet-basins plasticstate, after, which it istaken from and ther earthenware articles used a, in the;fi1ter press and storedfor the aging or 70 plumbing work- ,haye; customarily been curing process, thevsame ordinar ly ,requln shaped or made by hand on a single walled ing from, four to ten days, It, lsthen put form or mold. of plaster of paris, which gives through va pug mill in orderthat the whole shape to the article on one side, while its may be broughttoa homogeneous mass, thus Shape on h Qt 5 d @quired thick: making itareadyfor theworkmansuse;' a 75 ness are formed by, hand according to the ilihe object,ofour-invention toprovide Skill and, judgment. of the workman, the a process, by means of which lavatory bowls, j plasticclay-being applied in separate sheets C1O,S6t:,bil$il1$ and -other-hke earthenware or pieces until the article isbuilt upof the articles may-berapidlyand cheaply'manuequ e qq ple shape ,and configura'tion, factured and articles produced ofumf'orm 80 and the, separate-pieces properly joined or and proper shapeand thickness and of a 20 i d a heir meeting edges by manipulahomogeneous character o. throughout, .free

tion of the workman with ,l1; iS;:l1'a-nds or from the imperfections andiclefects heretofingers This process of ,manufacture is 1 fore experienced, without the labor and exslow and ,expensiv e, and ;6quires specially pense of skilled-hand: shaplng. andl nanipur 85 skilled workmenand is necessarily attended I'lationorjworking and at-thesamet me save with the, production of; defective and imor eliminate much of thespr limlnary labo- Pe f ct r icles a11d 1nateria1 variations in rious-and-expensive.treatment,of the; clayto size, shap e an d thickness, due, to carelessness bring itto a plastic or workable state for 17. from in proper joining of the separate hand manipulation; a sheets or pieces-of clay at their meeting Our invention-,conslsts nthe methodor 40 edg6 A y f t ve.01r imperfect union means weeniploy topr ctically vaC.C01 11p V or joiningvof the separate sheets or pieces of this object or result, that is to ,say it conclay at their ineeting edges in the forming sists in adding to and, mlxingwith the ordloperation while the clay s plastic, resulting nary clay;,,flint and-spar mixture, elther be- 95 in .an. air pocket, ordinarily produces a, fore or after it comes ,fronrtheplungerfland worthless,- or defectivearticle-when itis either before or; after, the liquid mixture subsequently fired, because however small passes in a liquid'state through the filter the an: pocket, the heat of the firing; operascreen or lawn, a solution otrsllicateof pottion expands the-air and causesagfracture in ash, and of carbonate of, potash and water 0 itsefiorts tosescape. Andin \additio n; the sufiicient to give the, necessary increased old processvreq uires an expensive and la-boriplasticity tothe mixture and the necessary ous, preliminary ,treatmentof the cl ay to quicklyasetting properties orcharacteristlcs bring it to a proper plastic state for such to the mixture to enable it to be cast of the desired shape by simply pouring it into a double walled plaster of paris mold; then pouring the mixture into plaster of paris molds of the necessary form to give the required shape and configuration to both sides of the article to be produced, until the mold or molds are filled; then from time to time as the moisture is in part absorbed from the contents of the mold and the same settles down in the mold, pouring additional mixture material into the mold, this refilling operation being repeated ordinarily from three to six times, and care being taken to repeat the pouring operation at sufliciently I near intervals to secure homogeneous union between the separate pourings, and the repeated pourings being continued until the contents of the mold becomes sufficiently set or hardened to prevent further downward settling of the contents of the mold; after which the mixture is allowed to remain in the plaster mold until the article thus cast or molded is sufficiently strong to permit the removal of the plaster mold without injury thereto. The lavatory bowl or other earthenware article thus cast or molded after being removed from the mold is then dried in the usual manner before firing and finally fired.

If it is desired to employ in practicing our invention a clay mixture already in a plastic state, such as is now used for hand molding or manipulation, we add thereto the solution of silicate of potash and carbonate of potash and water in sufiicient quantity to reduce the plastic clay mixture to a sufficiently fluid or liquid state to cause the same to readily pour into the plaster of paris molds and then proceed as above described.

By this means or process, we are enabled to produce earthenware lavatory bowls, closet basins and other like articles very rapidly and cheaply and much more perfectly than those now ordinarily produced by the hand prosesses heretofore in use,

The quantity of silicate of pot-ash and car bonate of potash which we add to a clay mixture already in a plastic state to give it the property or capability of being poured for casting into molds and perfect articles produced by casting, varies somewhat with the nature of the clay mixture used. Ordinarily we make the silicate of potash, carbonate of potash and water solution in the proportion of about one pound of the silicate of potash in solid form to one pound of carbonate of potash to about sixty pounds or seven and one half gallons of water, and this amount of the solution is ordinarily sufcient for about eight hundred pounds of clay mixture in a plastic state. If the clay mixture is already in a liquid state, the water is proportionately reduced.

In practicing our invention we prefer to add the solution of silicate of potash and carbonate of potash to the clay mixture after it has been passed in liquid form through the customary wire screen or lawn. And as the clay mixture at this stage is already in a liquid form, though not of proper consistency for pouring and casting, we add to the silicate of potash and carbonate of potash simply suflicient water for complete solution of both and then mix this solution to the liquid clay mixture or slip which brings the resulting mixture to proper consistency for pouring and casting in the molds.

The function or purpose of the carbonate of potash in the'clay mixture is to increase the fluidity of the clay mixture and reduce the quantity of water otherwise required to produce necessary fluidity for successful casting and pouring, so that the plaster of paris mold will successfully absorb or withdraw the water ormoisture from the mixture in the casting operation and thus render successful casting practicable. The function or purpose of the silicate of potash in the clay mixture is to give additional bond and elasticity and cohesiveness to the clay mixture and thus enable the mixture to set and harden quickly into a perfect casting without fracture or injury, and it also serves in the nature of a flux in the subsequent firing operation. Both the silicate of potash and carbonate of potash are essential ingredients to successful operation and theproduction of best results.

WVe hereby disclaim as not of our invention, the use of carbonate of soda and silicate of soda as set forth in the Alfred J 01111- son Patent No. 839,150 of Dec. 25, 1906. In our invention, the carbonate of potash and silicate of pot-ash in our clay mixture enables the pouring operation of the mixture in the molds to be repeated as required at intervals as the mixture in the molds settles down from absorption of moisture therefrom by the mold and a complete fusion or union between the separate pourings to take place without any tendency to cause a seam or line or surface of weakness or cleavage between the separate pourings. In our invention also, the carbonate of potash and silicate of potash in our clay mixture serves to materially reduce'the amount of heat required in the subsequent firing operation from that required where carbonate of soda and silicate of soda are used, and thus effects a material saving in fuel and cost of labor in the firing operation. In our invention also, the carbonate of potash and silicate of potash possesses material advantages over the use of carbonate of soda and silicate of soda, as a materially less amount of the carbonate of potash and silicate of potash is required to be added to the clay mixture, than is the case with thecarbonate of soda and silicate of soda; and this is of great practical advantage as the smaller the amount of either of such materials necessary to add to the clay mixture to produce the desired results, the better; because the clay mixture becomes more stubborn in character and affords greaterresistance in the lawning, maturing or refining process the more of such materials are mixed therewith.

o claim 1. The method or process of manufacturing earthenware articles, consisting in first adding to and mixing with the clay mixture, a solution of silicate of potash and carbonate of potash, and then pouring the mixture thus formed in a liquid state into plaster of paris mold until the same is filled, repeating the pouring operation at intervals as the mixture in the mold settles down, from absorption of moisture therefrom by the mold and i,- then allowing the mixture to set and harden in the mold until of sufiicient strength to permit removal of the. mold without injury, substantially as specified.

2. The method or process of manufacturing earthenware articles, consisting in first adding to and mixing with the clay mixture, a solution of silicate of potash, and then pouring the mixture thus formed in a liquid state into plaster of paris mold until the same is filled, repeating the pouring operation at intervals as the mixture in the mold settles down from loss of moisture, and then allowing the mixture to set and harden in the mold until of suflicient strength to permit removal of the mold without injury, substantially as specified.

Witnesses EDMUND AD'oooK, H. M. MUNDAY. 

